Dietary organic acids for broiler chickens: a review

초록

The objective was to summarize and describe the possible mode of action of dietary organic acids and their effects on growth performance of broiler chickens. Previous experiments have suggested that dietary organic acids decrease pH in diets and subsequently reduce pH in the proximal and distal intestine, increase nutrient utilization, and inhibit pathogenic bacterial growth in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The degree of pH reduction is usually greater in the upper part of the GIT (crop, proventriculus, and gizzard) than in the lower part of the GIT (duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and cecum). Bactericidal effects of dietary organic acids have been observed for pathogenic bacteria and even for beneficial bacteria to some extent. However, few significant results regarding bacterial modulation in the GIT have been reported. Dietary organic acids can improve dry matter and protein utilization in some experiments, but the extent of improvement in nutrient utilization is smaller than has been anticipated. Growth performance is likely improved, but results have been inconsistent due to variations in sources and inclusion levels of dietary organic acids. Differences in other dietary components and experimental environments among previous experiments likely contribute to the variable results. This review suggests that the effects of dietary organic acids on broiler chickens are not fully understood. Further experiments are required to reliably demonstrate the mode of action of dietary organic acids and their growth-promoting effects on broiler chickens.

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